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Chart of the Day: US LRT Lines by Expected v. Actual Ridership
Here’s a cool chart shared on Twitter by a researcher at the Manhattan Institute, showing expected v. actual ridership numbers for different light rail lines around the country. I am one of the people...
View ArticleHow Minneapolis Can Become A Transit City In One Decade
In the past month, the excellent transit blogger Alon Levy has written two posts that have particular relevance for places like the Twin Cities. This isn’t always the case, since Levy is more commonly...
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How I Rode Public Transit To Afton State Park
A TransitLink bus waits by the rangers’ offices at Afton State Park. TransitLink provides dial-a-ride service to the general public in all seven Twin Cities counties. Photo: Henry Pan In October, I...
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How Metro Transit Is Responding To The Coronavirus
A person on a bicycle waits for a Metro Transit articulated bus to cross the intersection of Lake and Pillsbury in South Minneapolis on the afternoon of March 18, 2020. As part of the Coronavirus...
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Amid Coronavirus Chaos, Metro Transit Allows Rear Door Boarding, Cuts...
Front Door Boarding Suspended Onboard Metro Transit Buses After pressure from activists, last Wednesday, Metro Transit began to follow in the footsteps of other agencies who have taken preventative...
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The A Line and C Line Work: Let’s Build More!
Two years ago, streets.mn published a piece with the catchy title “The A Line Works, Let’s Build More.” Since then we have built more; the C Line opened, with the exact same result as the A Line:...
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Metro Transit Staff Letter to Metropolitan Council Leadership
Metro Transit bus. Metro Transit staff have penned an open letter to Metropolitan Council leadership demanding action in response to the killing of George Floyd and the series of subsequent protests....
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Can Metro Transit Fix Policing?
Metro Transit Police checking fares on the light rail. Photo by Bill Lindeke. It probably seems like years ago. But, in actual time, it’s only been four months since February 2020. That’s when the...
View ArticleThe BRT/Local Service Dilemma
Thanks to new funding, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is picking up steam. Work on the B, D and E lines is underway with others soon to follow. Based on the available pre-Covid data for the A and C Lines,...
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Metro Transit Service: Chicken or Egg?
These are unprecedented times for all of us, and how and when we return to some semblance of normal is still uncertain. But now is the time for our transit providers to seek out new ridership and do...
View ArticleThe Quarterly Transit Report–March 2022
Unable to hire enough bus drivers to staff its scheduled service, Metro Transit continues to downsize the system. The result is the weekday ridership profile seen above. Some of the heaviest routes in...
View ArticleFinal Countdown: E Line Comment Reminder
Care about the future of transit on the route 6 corridor? This Friday is your final chance to submit your comments on the E Line BRT route! Last chance to get your comments in about stop locations...
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Are Electric Vehicles ‘Multimodal’ or Just Less Bad for the Environment?
I first heard the term “multimodal” transportation six or seven years ago. Bicycle commuters and cycling enthusiasts were lobbying to supplant parking with bike lanes along a stretch of Cleveland...
View ArticleThe Bus Rider’s Budget Campaign with MN350
Episode summary 00:00 | Intro 04:21 | The three needs 25:51 | Levers of power 34:11 | Connections to other transportation campaigns Urban highway removal 38:44 | Organizer role 46:19 | Outro Connect...
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Walk the Talk! Taking Steps to Build Community
Want to get active in a transportation-related, sustainability focused or equity-driven cause but aren’t sure where to begin? Do you like events or organized physical activities that contribute to a...
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Charts of the Day: Impacts of Land Use on Pandemic-Era Light Rail Station...
The Metropolitan Council annually releases fall ridership information at the bus stop and train station level. Data releases starting in 2013 allow for comparisons of ridership patterns from year to...
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Young Authors Speak Out on Climate Justice
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles that will highlight the creative work of young students in the 826 MSP program, which aims to “amplify the voices, stories and power of K-12...
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Simple and Not-So-Simple Tweaks to Improve MVTA’s Core Commuter Services
With COVID permanently changing commute patterns, transit agencies have had to find new ways to lure riders back to their services. The traditional rush-hour-only express bus network is no longer...
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Can You Imagine One Day a Week Without a Car?
John Barobs lives in Hopkins, offices in downtown Minneapolis and has been working a hybrid schedule since the pandemic. When he does go to the office, his favorite way to commute — especially during...
View ArticleSolving the Bus Driver Shortage
Episode summary 00:00:00 | Intro 00:01:37 | Why drivers are leaving 00:05:38 | Driver safety concerns 00:14:01 | Transit ambassadors 00:21:26 | Shift schedules 00:31:12 | Employment requirements...
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Commuting to Downtown Minneapolis Is Both Easier and More Complex Since COVID
Catherine Windyk has been an outreach specialist at Move Minneapolis since 2021, during the height of the pandemic. As a growing population of workers returns to downtown offices and work sites, she...
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Walk the Talk: St. Paul’s River Balcony, TCBC Fall Rides
Editor’s note: Walk the Talk is Streets.mn’s carefully curated, highly partisan collection of both serious and fun-loving events, community meetings and opportunities for engagement that we think will...
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Walk the Talk: I-35 Corridor Study and Summit Avenue Master Plan
Editor’s note: Walk the Talk is Streets.mn’s carefully curated, highly partisan collection of both serious and fun-loving events, community meetings and opportunities for engagement that we think will...
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Join Streets.mn on the D Line Saturday, December 17!
Streets.mn will be celebrating the recent launch of the D Line with a ride from a bakery in north Minneapolis to a brewery in south Minneapolis and lots of opportunities for connections in between....
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Walk the Talk: Count Birds, Talk Bikes and Advocate for a Safer Summit Avenue
Editor’s note: Walk the Talk is Streets.mn’s carefully curated, highly partisan collection of both serious and fun-loving events, community meetings and opportunities for engagement that we think will...
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We Read the Regional Solicitation Applications, So You Don’t Have To
Regional Solicitation is a process by which various governments, agencies and NGOs can apply for federal funds distributed through the Metropolitan Council. Funds are awarded every other year, so...
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Walk the Talk: Capitol Advocacy, Fat Biking and Adopting-A-Stop
Editor’s note: Walk the Talk is Streets.mn’s carefully curated, highly partisan collection of both serious and fun-loving events, community meetings and opportunities for engagement that we think will...
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Municipal Shoveling Won’t Solve Winter Walking Woes — But Other City...
There’s nothing I enjoy more in the winter than taking a brisk walk outdoors, bundled up to meet the cold, ideally with one or both of my dogs in tow — and, most importantly, on a clean, ice-free...
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Transit Is in Trouble: Can We Expect Anyone to Come Help?
I wish I weren’t writing this. But even more than that, I wish that folks could ride the Blue or Green Line light rail trains with confidence. Without fear of being pushed down the stairs at the Lake...
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HOURCAR Is Serving More People, in More Places (and Yes, It’s Challenging)
In 2022, people trying to get around St. Paul and Minneapolis saw three big changes. The price of cars — new or used, bought for cash or financed — set new records. Gas prices also spiked. As they did...
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New Transportation Law Hopes to get Minnesotans Moving
Billions in Spending Backed by Hundreds of Millions in New Taxes, Fees Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the Minnesota Reformer and is reprinted with permission. The DFL trifecta passed...
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Chart of the Day: Where Is the Orange Line Attracting Riders?
The METRO Orange Line opened in December 2021, offering higher-speed bus access between downtown Minneapolis and Burnsville, through Richfield and Bloomington. All told, the line has been running for...
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The Future of Transit
Several current pilot projects in Minnesota point toward exciting possibilities for public transportation. Let’s take a look! Episode summary 00:00 | Intro 01:21 | Micro Transit 23:00 | Southwest...
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How a Former Suburbanite Learned to Love the Bus
I grew up thinking I’d never be a transit lover. I expected to go down the usual path of the suburbanite, which was to eventually get my license and drive everywhere. Growing up, I knew that driving...
View ArticleThe Adopted Advantage: Better Bus Stops Featuring You!
You may have noticed bus stops in the Twin Cities with signs naming someone who adopted them. That’s right, Metro Transit now has an Adopt-a-stop program! They recently hosted an appreciation brunch,...
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Blue Line Extension: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Investment
Editor’s note: This is the first part of a three-part series covering the METRO Blue Line extension project. This part will cover the history, background, criticisms, hopes and future of the Blue...
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We Need to Talk About Bus Rapid Transit Creep
While the fight over Hennepin Avenue South is still fresh in our minds, other Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects have had features cut almost entirely unnoticed, like the dedicated lanes on Robert...
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Blue Line Extension Part 2: Land Use Problems
Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-part series covering the METRO Blue Line extension project. This part will focus on land use issues currently faced in the corridor. Part one covered the...
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Blue Line Extension Part 3: A BRT Proposal
Editor’s Note: This is the final part of a three-part series covering the METRO Blue Line extension project. This part will cover Bus Rapid Transit and bus route proposals for the northwest suburbs....
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Solving BRT Creep
With BRT construction afoot on Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street, it’s time to expand on some points from my recent article on Bus Rapid Transit creep. In that article, I established three things: What...
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Join Us for a Ride-Along on the Future G Line
Streets.mn is proud to present a ride-along with Lesley Kandaras, General Manager at Metro Transit, on Saturday, April 27. As part of the Ride with Lesley initiative, we will be traveling the length...
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How Can We Shape the Suburbs for Cycling?
When people think about the best places to cycle, they often focus the conversation on cities rather than suburbs. While this St. Paul resident would agree that Minneapolis is among the best cycling...
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Metro Transit Delays F Line BRT Construction to 2028
The F Line arterial bus rapid transit (aBRT) project, planned to largely replace Route 10 between downtown Minneapolis and Northtown Transit Center in Blaine, has been delayed by three years....
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I Put a NexTrip Display in my Apartment (and You Can, Too!)
Every time I leave my apartment I always ask myself the same two questions: “What is the current temperature?” “When is the next bus headed downtown?” Like most people, I used to reach into my pocket...
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Blue Line Extension: How’s Metro Transit?
Some people and transit riders may feel apprehensive to use Metro Transit, especially their light rail lines in relation to elevated levels of crime, uncertainties with public safety, changing...
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Putting Metro Transit Under the Microscope
As an avid transit rider and someone who has spent an embarrassingly long amount of time staring at the Metro Transit map, I’ve had quite a few “why on earth did/didn’t they do that?” moments. Some...
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Incorporating Environmental Justice into the Blue Line Extension
Achieving a substantial milestone, the METRO Blue Line light rail transit (LRT) extension project published a 2,800-page Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) on June 14 and...
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Comment on the Blue Line Extension: It’s Time for Municipal Consent!
The METRO Blue Line Extension transit project already entered a new phase called municipal consent. Now is the time for you and local city governments to review and comment on the physical designs of...
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Riding the Green Line: You Can Do Better, Metro Transit
In early August of this year, Metro Transit officials reported that crime was trending downwards by 17.5% in the second quarter of 2024, while overall ridership trended upwards by 9% in the first half...
View ArticlePurple People Organizing For Better Transit
Join Ian R Buck and Tim Marino for a discussion of the Purple Line: the history of the project, recent developments, and the Purple People Coalition fighting to make sure it will serve the most people...
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